The Co-op Ride Rolls On!

By: Chris Loney | Tuesday, April 22, 2014

Taking the success of our uAspire First One Awards, a night celebrating first generation college graduates, in stride the Central Office Team shifted attention to other matters that were briefly set aside. As things settled down following the UFO Rollercoaster, we conducted the final interviews for an open position in our Boston offices. This time around a few board and additional staff members were onsite to meet the two potential candidates. The coordination of the two simultaneous interviews became a logical thinking activity that reminded me of Mathematical Thinking, a class I took abroad in Costa Rica. The course focused on applying logical reasoning through a systematic approach to tackle every day problems.

In this scenario, two candidates walked into the office to have three interviews each. The interviews were held in three different locations, and the interviewees were not to cross paths …

With a little storyboarding, I devised a simple solution to the problem and the interviews ran smoothly without any hiccups. The interviews adhered to a tight schedule while giving ample time for all parties to prepare for the next interview. In the broader perspective, this exercise gave me the answer to the pressing question every student asks: When will I use math in real life?

As the interviews came to an end I was pulled into a call with our web vendor to discuss our plans and any restrictions regarding the addition of Fall River to our website. Both the interviews and website expansions are ongoing projects with more to come …

One project I can speak of and that I am excited to be a bigger part of is our Early College Affordability Awareness (ECAA) program. I will be co-presenting workshops with our financial aid advisors in high schools around Boston, preparing students with the correct information and resources to make their college decisions. I am eager to be a speaker at these workshops because I know some students are more willing to listen if the information comes from another student that has recently gone through the same process.

The more I learn about the ECAA program, the more I wish my high school had held these types of workshops. Hearing what some of the students have to say, I think that they are clearly well informed and know way more than I did when I was in their position. With spikes in student loan debt garnering national attention, now more than ever it is imperative for students to be armed with accurate and transparent information before making one of the biggest financial decisions of their lives.
Moving forward, I hope to be involved with these workshops as much as possible because the workshops are the direct service that allows so many students to realize their college aspirations can be reality.